Quinlivan: Moving on: Burden of living in Bay State too high

James Quinlivan

Tuesday

Sep 25, 2007 at 12:01 AMSep 25, 2007 at 2:31 PM

To the governor and esteemed politicians of the once great state of Massachusetts: What more?

To the governor and esteemed politicians of the once great state of Massachusetts: What more? When I retired after 20 years as an enlisted man from the U.S. Navy in 2003, I wanted nothing more than to return to my home state and start a new life after the military. Like most, I looked forward to the American Dream in the state I felt was the greatest of all 50.

After finding employment in the civilian sector and buying my first home, I thought I was on top. However, like many other citizens of Massachusetts, I was mistaken.

The following four years brought nothing but heartache and disaster. I found that returning to Massachusetts was the worst mistake of my life. I have fallen into debt, not because of multiple credit cards or outrageous purchases, but because of the high cost of my mortgage, taxes, utilities, gasoline, food, home and car insurance, and every other necessity of life - forced or otherwise.

Then came the help in the form of the (unscrupulous) mortgage lenders, and I refinanced like so many others. And, in time, like so many others, I couldn’t make the higher payments, and my dream home was foreclosed upon.

State agencies were non-existent to help with our difficulties. My wife and I thought to ourselves, “It could be worse,” i.e., we could have been Katrina victims and at least we have our health to be able to work and to start again. So we stayed and tried to persevere.

Then recently I heard on the news that to raise funding to fix our ever-so-great roads in Massachusetts, Gov. Deval Patrick and his idea men are thinking of raising the gas tax, electronically tracking the use of the roadways, and using flagmen, vice-policemen, at traffic construction sites.

I ask the governor, “What more?”

Many citizens, like myself, are again struggling to make ends meet when our hard-earned money is being sucked away as fast as we make it. We pay taxes on the money we earn, the goods we buy, electricity, natural gas, water we use to heat our homes, the gasoline we need to propel our cars, the food we eat, etc.

We have to pay for transportation to get us to work, and many times we have to pay to park at our own workplace, as well.

I now work at a major Boston hospital, and I find it obscene that I have to pay to get to my job and pay to leave my car there if I want a ride home.

Now you want to charge me for using the road to get to work?

I, for one, am tired of being shaken down each and every day.

Why not have some of these big corporations who make Boston their home pay for the repairs to the roads?

Why not charge the wonderful organizations that want to “beautify” our state with casino gambling?

Why not the Lottery?

Oh, I forgot, the Lottery is paying for all our school programs, right?

It is so successful that each day we hear of another program being cut.

I ask, why should the little guy in Turners Falls, Rowley, or Onset pay for it via a gas tax?

Why should I get charged for driving down a road I have to use to get to work?

As it stands right now, my wife and I are struggling again in a smaller rented home, looking at another winter of paying outrageous charges for natural gas to stay warm, and hoping that Keyspan won’t shut my heat off.

Energy assistance?

Sorry, you make too much money for assistance

So, Gov. Patrick and the rest of the Massachusetts political club: What more?

For one, you’re about to lose one more long-time resident. Then again, I’m really sure you care about the little guy, especially one like me who is disappointed and disillusioned.

James Quinlivan is an administrative assistant for a research doctor in Boston. He is, at least for now, a resident of Hull.

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